The recent return of the governor and vice-governor of South Kivu to Bukavu marks the start of a mandate marked by major and pressing challenges. Jean Jacques Purusi and Jean-Jacques Elakano find themselves at the head of a province facing critical problems, of which the issue of dilapidated road infrastructure constitutes one of the key priorities.
Indeed, the roads connecting the 8 territories to the capital of South Kivu are almost non-existent, thus creating a worrying isolation. The inhabitants of Shabunda, Fizi, Kalehe, Mwenga, Uvira, Walungu and Kabare thus find themselves cut off from Bukavu, prevented from easily accessing essential services and economic opportunities. This situation results from the lack of maintenance of the infrastructure, whose asphalt inherited from the colonial era has gradually deteriorated, without successive governments intervening to remedy the situation.
Furthermore, another major challenge for the new leaders of South Kivu lies in the question of social insecurity. In the absence of an effective agricultural policy, many residents depend on imported products for their livelihoods, creating worrying economic vulnerability. In addition, persistent insecurity pushes many households to leave their villages to find refuge in the city, thus causing saturation of urban centers and a worrying demographic imbalance.
Faced with these crucial issues, the population’s expectations are legitimate: they aspire to a rehabilitation of road infrastructure to promote connectivity between the different regions of the province, but also to an improvement in security in rural areas to allow return inhabitants in their villages of origin.
Thus, the mandate of the governor and vice-governor of South Kivu promises to be a pivotal period, marked by significant but hopeful challenges. It is now up to the new leaders to meet these challenges with determination and vision, in order to breathe new life into development and prosperity in South Kivu and its inhabitants.